Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a method for the preparation of a nanosuspension comprising nanoparticles of at least one natural material and an extract of at least one natural material, a nanosuspension prepared according to said method, and the use of such nanosuspension for the preparation of a medicament and/or nutritional supplement.
Background of the Invention
Natural materials, such as plants, cyanobacteria, algae or fungi, contain active agents which have the potency for treating diseases. In order to elute these active agents from natural materials, a variety of pharmaceutical preparations are known including aqueous or alcoholic percolation or maceration, dried powder extracts in form of tablets or capsules, or injectable dosage formulations. However, there are many disadvantages associated with these types of administration. Many of the ingredients are degraded within the gastrointestinal tract or undergo first-pass metabolism in the liver. In addition, parts of the population experience difficulty swallowing pills or are unable to tolerate any solids. Furthermore, many active agents of natural materials are poorly water soluble. The potency and therapeutic effects of many active agents of natural materials are therefore limited.
Diseases are often triggered by biochemical processes in human organism. Many of these processes are regulated by enzymes like e.g. the inflammatory pathway. Pharmaceutically active agents can affect these enzymes for therapeutic use while their inhibition or activation depends on the potency of an antagonist or agonist agents. With a minor potency of the active agent the concentration has to be increased to enhance its effect. Hence, increasing the effective concentration of an active agent in a pharmaceutical preparation is a constant aim.
However, the prior art methods for preparing a nanosuspension lack a method for the preparation of a nanosuspension from natural materials which may serve all needs. There is thus still a need for methods for preparing a nanosuspension from natural materials, which nanosuspension may be advantageously used in the treatment or prevention of diseases.